I still have misgivings that it is AI generated or modified, but assume that the judges have done their due diligence. I’m a little saddened that I now have to question things such as this.

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Liuser 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

From the article: “Bielfeldt does not use AI in his images, preferring to rely on traditional techniques.”

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gnabgib 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Yes. Macro photography always looks a little fake. Plus Nikon Small World doesn't have a good track record in 2026.

	▲	Smoosh 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I see that it uses stacked images, so that can account for the lack of normal focus cues.

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MBCook 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I think they had a problem with that last year, so I suspect they may be extra vigilant.

	▲	gnabgib 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Last month https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49934521